This invention relates generally to the field of telephony, and more particularly to an improved cover construction for use in protecting the exposed front surface of a telephone connector block of a contemporary type in which the front surface accesses plural insulation displacement contacts arranged in rank and file orientation.
In the interest of obtaining maximum possible circuit density, it is commonplace to employ connector blocks of a type in which a forward surface is provided with a recess within which insulation displacement contacts are accessed through wire guides communicating therewith. Blocks of this general construction are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,604, dated June 28, 1988 said patent being assigned to the same assignee as the present application. The recess in which the contacts are disposed is commonly provided with an elongated slot which accommodates a ground bar, the bar communicating with similar ground bars in aligned juxtaposed blocks mounted on a telephone main frame, the contacts ultimately leading to a source of ground potential. When the ground bar is used, individual subscriber circuit protection modules are engaged directly upon the exposed insulation displacement contacts, thus eliminating the need for providing separate protector module fields at an adjacent location.
In certain types of installations using this type of protector block, the modular protection of individual subscriber circuits is either unnecessary or provided at another location, in which case, the ground bar is not used. The insulation displacement contacts are thus left continuously exposed, and subject to the effects of dust, moisture, and possible inadvertent contact with electrically conductive sources. In such installations, it is desirable to provide some form of readily installed cover to shield the exposed contacts.